Project In Shanghai Research Articles

‘Art in capital’: Shaping distinctiveness in a culture-led urban regeneration project in Red Town, Shanghai

Culture permeates even the most imposing industrial building. Driven by global city making, city leaders see culture as a key to bolstering a new economy and to dealing with decayed urban sites. However, regional practices of creating creative strategies differ, as actors are not “dancing puppets” but actively pursue their vested interests. The Red Town project in Shanghai is one example that represents the shift from sporadic artistic action to organized construction and management of spaces for the creative industry. This paper probes the development process of Red Town in order to uncover the power relationships of a variety of actors in the urban regime. The pursuit of distinctiveness through selectively authentic conservation and branding of artists’ offbeat taste, in return, offers benefits to several key players involved, such as developers and government agents. However, when the link between artists and archaic industrial buildings is legitimized, the resulting space becomes commercialized and, to an extent, discriminatory. In this case, the architectural edifice celebrates economic growth, while at the same time, it spurs the rise of unexpected social consequences.

Importing American architecture to China: the practice of John Portman & Associates in Shanghai

The urban space of Shanghai has been forcefully shaped by American architects during the past thirty years. Among these movers and shakers, John Portman & Associates is the most notable because it was the pioneering American commercial design practice to enter Shanghai. It has actively participated in the process of Chinese urbanisation since the early 1980s. This paper reviews the practice's design projects in Shanghai: namely, the Shanghai Centre, the Bund Centre and Tomorrow Square. Each project — its intention, design, and usage — is analysed from the perspective of Chinese modernity in a ‘global-local’ context. The authors try to reveal the historic process of how American design rewove the urban fabric of Shanghai, and the reasons for and impacts of importing architecture from the West to contemporary China.

Forming foreign enclaves in Shanghai: state action in globalization

Urban spatial restructuring in the globalization process is contingent and non-uniform due to the multiplicity of interactions among the different actors involved. The burgeoning literature on Chinese cities suggests that local forces play an active role in many disciplines. One of the primary places to study such interaction is the foreign enclave, a residential concentration intended for foreigners (including ethnic foreigners and ethnic Chinese from overseas) that is emerging in many large Chinese cities. However, the local authorities’ role in the formation of foreign enclaves has not been systematically examined. This article considers how the local authorities interpret the development of foreign enclaves and then how they design and implement strategies for them. Using the case of Gubei New District, the first and largest cluster of foreign housing projects in Shanghai, the article argues that developing foreign enclaves is central to the local governments’ pursuit of structural competitiveness. An examination of this process may shed some light on the local authorities’ dynamic response to the globalization of housing markets in Chinese cities, with shifting strategies corresponding to the varying perceived interests.

Challenges in underground construction

Infrastructure construction in mega-cities poses great challenges. Most transportation systems, energy and water supplies, shopping facilities and other daily necessities require underground spaces. However, underground construction in soft ground is demanding and must be carefully undertaken with great attention to temporary works design. Additionally, in areas with a high water table, watertight construction is a primary requirement in the whole-life maintenance strategy. This paper deals with key aspects in tackling such problems. Several recent construction projects in Shanghai are used to illustrate practical solutions to these problems. In dealing with long-span underground spaces, the use of reinforced concrete is compared with a composite construction. The design procedure for supporting deep excavations is based on constructing ‘cut-and-cover’ structures. Early-age cracking in underground structures is prevented by simulation-based design and on-site monitoring. This paper also provides an example of sustainable development for infrastructure through planned maintenance, and inspection and appraisal techniques for existing infrastructure. All of the examples show the technical aspects of the work of an efficient municipal engineer.

An Urban Regeneration Regime in China: A Case Study of Urban Redevelopment in Shanghai's Taipingqiao Area

This article investigates Taipingqiao urban redevelopment projects in Shanghai that have conserved the traditional 'Shikumen' architectural form with the goal of exploring the driving-forces behind Shanghai's spatial restructuring and to shed light on the new mechanisms for public-private partnership evolving in China. A model called a 'rent gap seeking regime' (RGSR) is proposed to explain the mechanisms behind China's urban redevelopment. It is found that the logic of capital accumulation has dominated the reshaping of Shikumen's spatial forms and has been transformed into symbolic real estate values. It is argued that a pro-growth coalition between district government and foreign capital emerged during this process of urban restructuring; the paper analyses the features of how this coalition exercises power. Finally, based on empirical research, the paper engages Western regime analysis in a theoretical dialogue.

Socio-spatial impacts of property-led redevelopment on China’s urban neighbourhoods

To understand the socio-spatial impacts of property-led redevelopment on China’s urban neighbourhoods, this study inquires into two influential redevelopment projects in Shanghai. The significance of this research lies in using first-hand data to indicate the new trends of urban change in the Chinese city. Through analysing the data from a 500-questionnaire survey, two different forms of socio-spatial changes under property-led redevelopment are identified. On the one hand, an extensive residential displacement occurs during redevelopment, a process of gentrification is emerging in China. On the other hand, to re-image the inner city and promote economic growth, urban redevelopment has led to changing urban function/land use in old neighbourhoods. As the local government legitimizes property-interest-centred reinvestment in the inner city, old neighbourhoods, which used to accommodate low-income residents, are now occupied by people with higher socioeconomic status or transferred to high-valued-added commercial land use. The exchange value of urban space is produced at the cost of old urban neighbourhoods’ everyday use value.

06/01720 Quick performance prediction of liquid desiccant regeneration in a packed bed: Gandhidasan, P. et al. Solar Energy, 2005, 79, (1), 47–55

This paper presents the performance analysis on a hybrid air-conditioning system according to the hybrid building energy system of the green building demonstration project in Shanghai, in which a 150 m2 solar collector is used to power two 10 kW adsorption chillers, a vapor compression heat pump is used to cool air in the evaporating end while the condensing heating at about 80 °C is fully used to regenerate a liquid desiccant dehumidification system. In the hybrid system, the sensible cooling to the air is treated mainly by solar adsorption cooling and vapor compression cooling, whereas the latent heat is treated by the liquid desiccant dehumidification system with regeneration from the condensing heat of the heat pump. The results show that the performance of this system is 44.5% higher than conventional vapor compression system at a latent load of 30% and this improving can be achieved by 73.8% at a 42% latent load. The optimal ratio of adsorption refrigerating power to total cooling load for this kind of hybrid systems is also studied in this paper.

Performance analysis on a hybrid air-conditioning system of a green building

This paper presents the performance analysis on a hybrid air-conditioning system according to the hybrid building energy system of the green building demonstration project in Shanghai, in which a 150 m 2 solar collector is used to power two 10 kW adsorption chillers, a vapor compression heat pump is used to cool air in the evaporating end while the condensing heating at about 80 °C is fully used to regenerate a liquid desiccant dehumidification system. In the hybrid system, the sensible cooling to the air is treated mainly by solar adsorption cooling and vapor compression cooling, whereas the latent heat is treated by the liquid desiccant dehumidification system with regeneration from the condensing heat of the heat pump. The results show that the performance of this system is 44.5% higher than conventional vapor compression system at a latent load of 30% and this improving can be achieved by 73.8% at a 42% latent load. The optimal ratio of adsorption refrigerating power to total cooling load for this kind of hybrid systems is also studied in this paper.

Assessment and management of urban air pollution: a new project in Shanghai

With the rapid rise of means of transport, the emission of the motor vehicle has become a prime source of air pollution in many cities. The result of air quality monitoring says that the air in 70 percent of Chinese cities does not meet standards. In 2003, the total amount of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emission reached about 2.5 times, 2.0 times and 3.0 times that of 1995 respectively. In the same period, the emission of other air pollutants like sulphur dioxide, soot and industrial dust dropped by 15 percent. This paper focuses on the application to an ongoing project in Shanghai about “Motor Vehicle Emission Urban Pollution” (MoVE-UP). In the framework of the Sino-Italian Cooperation Program for environmental protection, the Institute for Atmospheric Pollution of the Italian CNR is assessing the future trends in emissions and air quality in the urban area of Shanghai. The main topic is establishing a consistent framework in order to reduce emissions using the principles of cost-effectiveness, sound science and transparency, and to provide a foundation (in terms of data and modelling tools) for the transition towards longer-term air quality studies covering all emission sources. Priority has been given to a quantitative analysis of traffic emission and its effects on the urban environment of Shanghai, with the supply of a comprehensive strategy for vehicle-based pollution control. Besides the main “conventional” pollutants investigation, air quality modelling at urban and local scale have been employed to predict roadside air quality and to mitigate impacts. Other important aims of the project are the comparison with sources other than road transport, and the evaluation of the benefits of reducing emissions.

Property-Led Redevelopment in Post-Reform China: A Case Study of Xintiandi Redevelopment Project in Shanghai

ABSTRACT:Urban redevelopment in China has experienced great transformation. Government-backed redevelopment has been replaced by privately funded and property-led redevelopment. This article discerns the impetus of ongoing property-led redevelopment. A case study of the Xintiandi project in Shanghai reveals how property-led redevelopment actually works. Pro-growth coalitions between local government and developers are formed. Despite its role as capital provider, the private sector is still regulated by the government due to its negligible influence on local governance. The government controls the direction and pace of urban redevelopment through policy intervention, financial leverages, and governance of land leasing. Property-led redevelopment is driven by diverse motivations of different levels of the government, e.g. transforming urban land use functions, showing off the entrepreneurial capability of local government, and maximizing negotiated land benefits. Driven by profit seeking, some thriving urban neighborhoods are displaced by high-value property development, and suffer from uneven redevelopment.

Family Placements from a Chinese Institution

In this article Chris Beckett and June Thoburn look at an innovative fostering project in Shanghai, which places children from a large children's institution. They consider placement outcomes for 220 children placed over a two-year period. A number of variables are discussed which might impact on placement outcomes, including age, gender, level of disability, length of time spent in the institution and age at time of placement. The length of time spent in institutional care and age at placement were found to be predictors of the placements breaking down during the first few years after placement. Younger children moved quickly into foster homes were most likely to settle there successfully. This finding is in accord with other studies that have found that early institutional care can have adverse long-term consequences for development. This pattern, it is suggested, does not necessarily reflect poor physical care within the institution. It may simply be a consequence of the fact that an environment of this kind cannot provide the kinds of relationships which are necessary for optimal development. The authors believe that looking at placement outcomes for projects of this kind provides a valuable opportunity to learn more about children's vulnerabilities and about the kinds of post-placement support which are needed.

Personal Experiences Of Cost Control On the China Merchants Plaza Project

An engineer and project manager on a major construction project in Shanghai, China, recounts his experiences. The efficacy of competitive bidding and of a system of incentives is discussed. The problems averted-and the savings realized-by having the owner involved in the design from the start are emphasized. Savings also came from questioning a traditional reliance on imported finishing materials.

The research and development of the solar house in China

A brief recommendation about solar energy resources and the status of solar house research and development in China is introduced. The reasons for the slow development of an active solar house in the past is analysed. By combining with various research achievements, the passive solar house has had good advancement and applications. The demonstration transparent insulation material (TIM) solar house project in Shanghai is described as an example showing that with the development of solar material, absorbing and storage wall and air-conditioning measures, the passive and hybrid solar house has the potential to provide future wider applications in China.

Construction of underground works in Shanghai, P.R.C.

For nearly thirty years, Shanghai has been constructing underground works designed to improve the city's infrastructure. A number of projects were undertaken using shield tunnelling method in order to determine whether this method could be used successfully in Shanghai's geology, which is characterized by silt and silty or puddly clay. These underground projects have included subway tunnels, sewage and water supply tunnels, road tunnels, and offshore discharge tunnels. This paper describes eight subsurface projects in Shanghai that have used the shield tunnelling method successfully. Pendant environ trente ans, Shanghaï a construit des ouvrages souterrains dans le but d'améliorer l'infrastructure de la ville. De nombreux projets furent entrepris en utilisant la méthode àécran de façon à determiner si cette méthode pouvait ětre utilisée avec succès compte tenu de la géologie de Shanghaï, qui est caracterisée par de la vase ou de l'argile boueuse. Ces projets en souterrains ont inclus des tunnel de métro, le tout à l'égout et des tunnels d'alimentation en eau, des tunnels routier, et de déversement au large. Ce papier décrit huit projets en souterrain àShanghaï qui ont utilisé avec succès la méthode à écran.